Christian Walker hit a big three-run home run, and Zac Gallen pitched well for six innings as the Arizona Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees 7-0 on Tuesday night. This victory ended the Yankees’ streak of winning their first five games of the season.
Arizona, who were last year’s NL champions, have started this season well with a record of 4-2. They took an early lead of 3-0 in the first inning after five of their first six batters reached base against Nestor Cortes. Blaze Alexander, Eugenio Suárez, and Gabriel Moreno all contributed with RBI singles.
Diamondbacks’ manager Torey Lovullo said, “Scoring three runs quickly puts pressure on the other team, especially with Zac pitching well.”
Gallen, who finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting last season, continued his good form by allowing only one run over 11 innings in his first two starts.
Walker extended the lead to 6-0 in the seventh inning with a huge home run off Jake Cousins. This was a pivotal moment in the game, with the ball traveling an impressive 424 feet.
It was only the fourth time in the Yankees’ history that they had won their first five games of the season. However, their offense struggled in this game, with key players like Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, and Alex Verdugo having low batting averages.
Cortes, the Yankees’ starting pitcher, struggled, giving up three runs, eight hits, and two walks over five innings. For the Diamondbacks, Walker, Alexander, Ketel Marte, Jake McCarthy, and Geraldo Perdomo all contributed with two hits each.
This shutout was only the second time in the Diamondbacks’ history that they held the Yankees scoreless. The first time was during Game 2 of the 2001 World Series.
